Attention WISDOM families!
You are invited to attend a Family Gathering in your area (or more than one, if you wish). These events are a great opportunity to visit with other WISDOM families, facilitators, and Parent Advisory Council members.
While our Spring Socials and Information Sessions are open to the public, Fall Socials/Gatherings are for WISDOM families only, giving us a chance to get to know each other as fellow home schoolers.
Click on an events link on the right for details and to register for these free events.
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Sarah is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist who has been the guest speaker for WISDOM’s Speech and Language Development Workshops.
Sarah is now offering to WISDOM families:
- Online Initial Speech-Language Assessments
- Online Follow-up Consult/Therapy Sessions
- Speech-Language Reports
For families in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area in person services are a possibility.
Funding can be used for payment of services.
For more information, contact Thérèse at therese@wisdomhomeschooling.com, or call the WISDOM office.
The Difference Between Psycho-Educational (Static) Assessment and the Learning Propensity Assessment Device (Dynamic Assessment)
There are four main differences that we will examine and contrast between a standard Psych-Ed evaluation and the Dynamic Assessment (DA) that we provide. These are:
- Assessment Tools
- Assessment Situation
- Product verses Process Orientation
- Interpretation of the Outcomes
- Assessment Tools
Static Assessment
The tools of the static assessment are built with the aim of examining a child’s present levels of knowledge, expertise, and skill. It is expected that the child will respond spontaneously according to the criteria of age and developmental norms that have been established. The tools are not intended, and are not capable of, showing the cause or the lack of capability detected in the test. Static tests are constructed in such a way that no learning will take place. The examiner in no way will intervene to assist the child with answers; doing so will invalidate the results.
Dynamic Assessment
Dynamic Assessment tools are constructed in a way to include situations that are openly intended for learning. A DA is based on the existence of a learning process, because this is the process we wish to evaluate. In other words: we evaluate the child’s learning processes while they are in a learning situation. The varied DA tools enable the examiner to analyze the propensity of the child to learn and to think, and then analyzes the changes that have taken place in their thinking ability following the examiners intervention. The DA is not concerned with informational questions that the child may know; it is concerned with examining their thinking processes.
- Assessment Situation
Static Assessment
In a static assessment the role of the examiner is to look for what is "fixed, permanent, and unchanging" in the child. The need is to create a standardization of the test conditions in order to establish its validity and reliability beyond time and the variations in the examinee. In static assessment, no action must be performed that might cause change in a child; the examiner is required to be passive and remote. The examiner must avoid giving any kind of hint to the child, even steering clear of giving feedback about functioning. The format is: test, record.
Dynamic Assessment
In DA there is no requirement for standardization. There are consistent rules and uniform, planned strategies for performing the diagnosis, but because we are comparing the child to themselves alone we do not need (or desire) to make the instructions of the assessment and the interaction between the child and the examiner sterile and standard. The format is: pretest, mediation/teach, retest. In DA the examiner will do everything in their power to create in the child the experience of modifiability. The examiner is in fact an active and involved mediator/teacher. The examiner is interested in the child’s success no less than the child is. Therefore, DA is most always a positive experience for the child.
- Product verses Process Orientation
Static Assessment
Focus is on the outcomes of the tests (product). The examiner wants to know what the child knows and what they do not know, what the child achieved within an allocated time and what the child didn’t succeed in achieving in the allocated time. Even if the child knows the answer but didn’t arrive at it in the time allocated, this information is not significant from the standpoint of the examiner. The child is there in order to answer questions, not in order to ask questions.
Dynamic Assessment
DA does not produce or emphasize numerical scores. Focus is on the process that the child undergoes in the course of the assessment. We ask the questions: What is the process that made the child succeed or fail? What is the process through which the child can be modified? How can we bring about change in him/her? We are looking for signs of change, representing differences between pre-testing and post-testing. We teach a principle and want to know how the child will use it (apply it in their thinking) in a new situation that demands the ability to adapt and change (be modified/demonstrate modifiability). Questions are allowed, and in fact encouraged, as these can be indicators of change in the child’s thinking.
- Interpretation of the Outcomes
Static Assessment
In static assessment the outcomes of the tests are summed up in quantitative terms; the number of correct answers as against the number of incorrect answers. The results are then analyzed statistically, with the examinee then given a placement or number relative to (the norms of) the results of examinees considered to be of a comparable nature (e.g. age of examinee). The norms are statistically derived indices such as averages, percentiles, standard scores, etc. from previous test results of other examinees of comparable nature (age).
Dynamic Assessment
The process that the child undergoes during a DA enables the examiner to gain an understanding of what had previously been poorly utilized or inaccessible to the child, and the extent that it has become incorporated within the repertoire of thinking skills. We examine not only the answers chosen by the child but also the reasons for the answers that were chosen. We examine the thinking process behind the choice of one answer or another. As a result, not only are we able to locate the high points of functioning but also the weaker points of functioning. According to these points we conclude what lies beneath the surface – the thinking abilities that we must strengthen or develop. These are the buds of change, so to speak, and in them we see a confirmation of the child’s ability to continue to be changed (modified). With the buds of change identified, mediation of them can continue, as does the process of modifying the child’s thinking and propensity to learn.
Based on a summary of Beyond Smarter: Mediated Learning and the Brain's Capacity for Change by Louis H. Falik and Reuven Feuerstein
For more information or to arrange an assessment appointment call the WISDOM office or email da@wisdomhomeschooling.com.
WISDOM students enrolled in a senior high school program may choose to pursue Alberta Education courses for credits and marks in accordance with Section 6 of the Alberta Home Education Regulation. WISDOM respects parents as the primary educators of their children; when credits is the path families choose, WISDOM provides support and guidance to help students be as successful as possible in fulfilling Alberta Education’s requirements. WISDOM students gain credits primarily through a Course Challenge process, but also have the option to gain some credits through non-primary registration for Distance Education courses with another school.
There are pros and cons to pursuing Alberta courses for credits. Although it is not necessary for homeschooled students to follow the Alberta Programs of Study outcomes in order to graduate, WISDOM recognizes that some families choose to do so for reasons specific to their needs and goals.
Information about gaining credits with WISDOM, as well as the course challenge process can be found in the digital High School Credit Handbook below.
Course Challenge at a Glance
Course challenge is the means by which Alberta students who choose to not take school-delivered courses can obtain credits and marks. In brief, home educated students have the option to work through a program of study that matches the outcomes of Alberta courses, and upon formal evaluation of learning, an Alberta certificated teacher may award marks and credits.
- Parent & Student lets WISDOM know what courses the student will challenge and speak to the facilitator.
- Parent & Student develop a course of studies to meet Alberta Programs of Study outcomes for their courses.
- Parent & Student create course portfolios.
- Portfolios are submitted for evaluation (worth 70% in core courses or 100% in non core courses).
- Student takes final exams (worth 30% overall mark in core courses).
- Marks and Credits are awarded by WISDOM
So how do I put these Course Challenges in my EPP?
Links for high school credit support and information
- Time for a Real Education
Important article that provides answers to questions such as:
- “How will my child get into university or college?”
- “How will my child gain the credentials to earn a comfortable salary?”
- “How can I possibly teach high school?”
- Externally Delivered Credits
- Alternative High School Credentials
- WISDOM High School Credit Policy
- Proctoring Information
- Course Challenge Dates and Deadlines
- Alberta Programs of Study
- Alberta Diploma Exam Information
- Alberta Diploma Requirements
- Provincially Authorized Senior High School Courses
- Alberta myPass account setup
- Order a SOLARO account (Required to complete Course Challenge)
Want to speak with an experienced WISDOM staff member?
Christian Bekolay: High School Advisor
Peter Weidman: Credits Advisor
WISDOM High School Subject Specialists
High School Credit Handbook
Conference Details Register Now Presenters Exhibitors Resources Schedule
This schedule subject to change.
Friday – Discover your interests
Registration at 8:00-9:00 Check in (for pre registered and new registrations) at Spruce Grove Alliance Church. Coffee, tea and icebreakers.
8:30 Icebreakers.
9:00 Door Prize - You need to be in your seat to win!
9:05 Welcome and Announcements
9:15 Keynote: Ignite Your Potential - Joshua Peachment
To kick off the conference, Joshua will get us started by discussing the importance of finding and igniting your potential. The talk will start with a discussion on building the foundation for your life journey before diving into one of the most powerful methods for igniting your potential: education. We’ll discuss the many forms of education, and how they can ultimately help you become the best version of yourself.
10:15 Break
10:45 Facilitator Panel: Ignite your Potential
Facilitators will discuss ways to ignite a student's potential and achieve their best in any chosen path through high school.
11:45 Lunch
12:55 Door Prize
1:00 Trades, Post Secondary, or Entrepreneurship - which direction are you going?
1:30 Breakouts 45 mins + QA
Trades - Joe Laurence
Who is a trade?
What is a trade?
Where is a trade?
When is a trade?
Why is a trade?
How is a trade?
Pipefitter & Plumber Joe Laurence will attempt to answer all these questions.
Post Secondary - Approaching Post-Secondary with Intentionality - Joshua Peachment
We all know how expensive the world is these days, and education is no different. In this breakout session, Joshua will discuss the topic of post-secondary education and the most effective way for going about it: with intentionality. This discussion will begin by reviewing the diverse range of study options and how important it is to have a strong plan before entering your chosen school. Next, we will go over how your chosen field of study will affect your high school education, before finishing with an overview of the many ways for funding your post-secondary education, the pros and cons of each option, and how to salvage an education that has gone off the rails.
Entrepreneurship - Jana Boyko
In this workshop, Jana Boyko will share how she turned an idea into a successful business and what she wished she had known when she was starting out. Drawing from her experience building Bedside Business Plan and launching it nationally with Indigo, Jana will offer practical guidance on getting started, testing ideas, and learning through action. By the end of the session, you'll come away with a clearer understanding of what entrepreneurship can look like and the confidence to begin exploring your own business ideas.
2:30 Initiative - How to be self-directed in learning with a growth mindset. - Therese McDonald
Self-change needs initiative and a desire for growth. Join Therese as she elaborates on the qualities of the self-directed learner and breaks down what practical ways young people can embrace taking more responsibility in their studies, behaviour, and life. How does having a growth mindset change outcomes? Where does motivation and initiative come from and how can solid progress be made? Are you ready for more?
3:15 Breakouts - High School Paths
- AB Diploma
- Credits for Core Course
- Planning Your High School without Credits
- Building a Portfolio
- Entering the Workforce
4:30 Keynote: Starting Your Financial Journey on the Right Foot - Joshua Peachment
As much as we don’t like to talk about it, a vital aspect of entering the adult world involves money. Budgeting, bill paying, and saving for the future are all important to finding success as an adult, and the best time to get started on this is now. In this discussion, Joshua will break down what sensible budgeting looks like, how to prioritize saving while paying bills and navigating debts, before breaking into a topic most don’t even consider; saving for long-term goals.
5:00 Break for Supper
6:30 Doors open
7:00 Evening Sessions
Adults | Cardus Research - Catharine Kavanagh
Homeschooling is one of the most stereotyped phenomena in society, with its students frequently branded either as geniuses, or as socially awkward individuals. Luckily, Cardus has actual data on the outcomes of homeschooled students in their adult years. Drawing on the flagship Cardus Education Survey, we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of homeschooling as it pertains to educational attainment, career achievement and trends, civic participation, mental health and well-being, and faith formation. Through analysis of multiple years of data and sub-categories of homeschoolers, we can see the types of individuals, neighbours, friends, citizens, and family members that homeschoolers grow up to be.
Youth | Embracing Growth & Creating a Personal Rule of Life to Ignite your Potential - Nicholas Pierlot
Lasting success in life is built through intentional habits, self-knowledge, and a willingness to grow. One of the most effective ways to cultivate these is by developing a personal rule of life—a practical framework for ordering time, priorities, and daily choices in a way that fosters discipline, freedom, and long-term growth. This session will also explore the importance of self-awareness in decision-making as well as the value of a growth mindset: learning to see challenges, failure, and sustained effort as essential tools for developing new skills, character, and confidence for life beyond school.
Closing at 9:30
Saturday – Find out how to follow your path
8:00-9:00 Check in for pre-registered and new registrations; Coffee & tea
8:30 Icebreakers
9:00 Door Prize
9:05 Welcome and Announcements
9:15 Keynote: Finding a Career Path to be Excited About - Joshua Peachment
While education is important for finding success in life, no less important is finding a career path you can be excited and passionate about. In this talk, Joshua will approach the topic of working the 9-5 job while still maintaining excitement for both your work and the future as you build towards a bigger, better tomorrow. To accomplish this, this talk will discuss goal setting and developing a growth mindset while keeping expectations proper for the type of work and the expected career trajectory such work will bring.
10:15 Post-Secondary & Employment Opportunities - ONE Minute “How can homeschoolers enter your institution?
11:20 Exhibit Hall opens
12:30 Lunch
2:00 Exhibit Hall closes
2:10 Door Prize
2:15 Panel/Round-Table Discussion with Home Schooled Grads, Parents, Experts
3:15 Keynote: Don’t Forget to Be Interesting While You’re Busy Being an Adult - Joshua Peachment
To wrap up the conference, Joshua will focus on life beyond work and education and discuss how important it is to be interesting as an adult. The formula to being an interesting adult relies on three specific concepts: Be Well Read, Be Well Travelled, and Be Well Experienced. In our closing keynote, Joshua will break down each one and how you can use them to become an interesting adult and ultimately ignite your potential.
4:15 Closing remarks
Effective entrance exams and assessments designed specifically with home education in mind.
The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is a post-secondary entrance exam, created as an alternative to the SAT and recognized at many post-secondary institutions across the United States, and a growing number in Canada.
In addition to the college entrance exam, the folks at CLT have created the CLT3-8 assessments for grades 3 through 8 and the CLT10, a college preparatory exam for grades 9 and 10. These tests focus on numeracy and literacy, and can be a useful evaluation tool, and one that can be conveniently accessed from home.
WISDOM only charges a processing fee of $10 for each CLT exam a WISDOM student takes.
Better tests, better students
The CLT exams are user-friendly and provide a rigorous measure of academic formation, accomplishment, and potential. CLT provides a new standard that puts students in front of the thinkers and questions that have most meaningfully shaped culture.
- Take the test from the comfort and safety of your home
- Provides parents with a worthwhile teaching resource
- Assesses both aptitude and achievement
- Delivers more rigorous content than other standardized tests
- Utilizes meaningful and timeless primary sources
- Promotes critical thinking and higher-level analysis
- Exams take approximately 2 hours to complete
- Exams assess English, mathematical, and critical reasoning skills
- Millions in scholarship dollars available with CLT partner colleges
Assessments worthy of a student's time and attention
The CLT Suite of Assessments are the only exams that are taken at home, online, and designed with homeschoolers in mind. They are user-friendly and accurate—not only can they be taken online at home and completed in two hours, they also provide a rigorous measure of academic formation, accomplishment, and potential. CLT provides a new standard that puts students in front of the thinkers and questions that have most meaningfully shaped culture. In addition, a student's overall score on the CLT is calculated based on the total number of questions answered correctly. No points are deducted for incorrect answers.
Accepted at 250+ partner colleges
CLT is partnered with over 250 colleges and universities, including Trinity Western University, Redeemer University College, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, Catholic Pacific College, Wyoming Catholic College, Thomas Aquinas College, and many more. Plus, with CLT's unlimited free score sharing, students can share their score with any college and university in the world.
CLT & CLT10 Practice Tests
CLT offers free practice tests that can help students better prepare to take the real CLT exam. The benefits of practice tests include:
- Online Tests – Take the practice test using the same experience and content structure used for the CLT and CLT10.
- Immediate Results – View your practice test score as well as the results for each question.
- Answer Explanations – Review the explanation for each practice question to improve your performance.
Lock Down Browsers
To protect the integrity of the CLT and CLT10 and ensure a fair testing experience for all students, CLT utilizes a secure LockDown browser. The LockDown browser is required for the remotely proctored CLT and the remotely proctored CLT10.
To learn more about CLT's LockDown Browser and how to install it, click here.
This simple tool will help prevent cheating and ensure that every score truly reflects a student’s own ability. It’s an important step in maintaining the high standards that make the CLT and CLT10 trusted, respected assessments—while still keeping things smooth and stress-free for schools and families.
CLT FAQs
Why Another Exam?
Classic Learning Test was formed in 2015 when their founder, Jeremy Tate, began to question why students needed to spend so much time preparing for a college entrance exam (SAT/ACT) that did not reflect the deep, holistic education they were receiving in homeschool or private schools.
SAT and ACT are both aligned with Common Core and reflect a public school education. The passages used on the exams are from sources primarily written within the last 10 years, removing any vestiges of the Christian intellectual tradition. They do not allow students who have read widely and pursued truth and reason to showcase their real strengths. CLT was birthed out of a desire to provide a test aligned to an education that emphasizes the connection between knowledge and virtue and can highlight the strengths of these students.
What started as a college entrance exam has grown into a suite of assessments for 3rd - 12th graders. The CLT suite of assessments assesses foundational educational concepts in language arts and mathematics with an emphasis on critical thinking and logic throughout the exams. The exams feature Great Books content that is primarily drawn from CLT’s Author Bank.
All CLT assessments can be taken online at home. The CLT3-8 (3rd-8th grade) and the CLT10 (9th-10th grade) are proctored by parents. The CLT (college entrance exam) is remotely proctored to uphold the standards required by college partners. Each exam takes approximately 2 hours.
Why should my family use CLT?
The CLT suite of assessments provides Student Analytics on each exam that can help families strengthen the quality of their education. It’s not about simply improving on a test. The goal is to maximize your student’s education.
Additionally, the CLT suite of assessments provides students with experience taking standardized exams in a familiar environment. The content of the exams is well aligned with your style of education; therefore, the time spent testing is meaningful due to the Great Books content and challenging mathematical reasoning questions. Plus, the feedback provided is well-aligned to the education you are providing your students.
How does CLT offer greater flexibility with testing?
- CLT3-8 are offered during a four-week testing window twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring.
- The CLT10 is offered four times each year.
- The CLT is offered twelve times per year.
- Students test at their preferred time of day (not all students perform best early in the morning!) Score shares (CLT10 and CLT) are free and unlimited, and students do not opt into sharing scores until they view them. All CLT’s are taken at home. CLT3-8 and CLT10 are parent proctored tests, while CLT is remotely proctored. Please click here for remote proctoring information and preparation guides
When should students test with CLT?
CLT currently has exams for 3rd-12th grade students. Most families test once in the fall to set a baseline for the year and again in the spring to get end-of-year results to assess what their student has accomplished over the year.
Should students prep for the CLT?
An education that emphasizes reading, discussion, mathematics, and critical thinking is the best preparation for the CLT. The CLT is designed to reflect a robust education; however, most homeschooled students are not accustomed to multiple choice or timed tests. Students may feel more confident if they have some experience prior to taking an official exam. For this reason, CLT provides free online practice exams with full answer explanations for CLT10 and CLT on the student dashboard. A CLT Student Guide is available for purchase for those seeking additional practice.
For the CLT3-8 exams (3rd-8th grade), preparation is not recommended as these exams are intended to be a benchmark that provides feedback to parents about their students’ strengths and areas for improvement. Families are welcome to explore the functionality of the exam by viewing the demo CLT3 exam on this page, though students should understand that the content varies in difficulty according to grade level.
Is the CLT accepted by all colleges?
Though the CLT is not accepted by all colleges, over two hundred colleges partner with CLT, accepting the exam as a complete replacement of the ACT or SAT. Additionally, with many colleges going test-optional, even colleges who do not partner with CLT will accept CLT scores.
Sharing your scores is a great way to strengthen your application even if they are not required. CLT Partner Colleges tend to be private, liberal arts, or faith-based colleges which share their mission to reconnect knowledge and virtue in the classroom.
Can I earn scholarships with CLT?
Many colleges offer scholarships tied to CLT scores. You may view a list of scholarship opportunities with CLT Partner Colleges by clicking here.
Should I take the CLT if I have already taken/plan to take the ACT/SAT?
If you are planning to attend a CLT Partner College, sending CLT scores to those colleges demonstrates that you are a student who is well-prepared for their academics. CLT Partner Colleges have noted that CLT students do very well in their classes, so these colleges often respond with excited interest and generous scholarships to CLT scores. Additionally, many homeschooled students find they perform better on the CLT than the ACT/SAT. Even if you are not planning to attend a CLT Partner College, the Student Analytics that accompany each test give invaluable insight into your education, highlighting your strengths and areas for improvement.
What if the college I want to attend does not accept the CLT?
CLT is diligently working to earn greater acceptance, particularly with colleges that value a liberal arts education. They add new colleges to our partner list routinely, but the most effective way of adding new partners is for colleges to hear from students they want to use their CLT scores.
If you're interested in applying to a college that isn't currently a CLT Partner, don't be discouraged. Call the college or university of interest and ask to speak with an admissions representative. Explain what CLT is, why you want to use CLT in the admissions process, and why they should consider your scores. You can share that the CLT best reflects your education and demonstrates your academic excellence. This is a great way to connect with a college and to help CLT gain wider recognition. There have been many cases where these kinds of conversations have led to a new CLT college partnership.
Are there testing accommodations available for CLT?
Yes, Students with documented learning disabilities may apply for testing accommodations. Testing accommodations are adaptations to an exam that can help ensure that the test measures what it is designed to measure, rather than the negative effects of a person’s disability. The purpose of testing accommodations is to provide candidates with full access to the test – not to guarantee improved performance, a passing score, test completion, or any other specific outcome.
Please click here for more information and applications for testing accommodations.
Mediated Tools and Training
Develop your teaching skills and engage your child.
- WISDOM Mediated Learning workshops will teach you how to apply a proven method for change, no matter the challenge.
In-person:
- Full-day, practical and meaningful workshops are available in three Alberta locations - North, Central, and South.
- After a day of immersing yourself in mediational methods, you will be surprised at how easy it is to have an immediate and lasting impact on the results of your home schooling.
Online:
- WISDOM offers occasional online workshop opportunities.
Which workshop have you been waiting for?
Foundations in Mediated Learning
This workshop covers the basics of Mediated Learning. Although not a prerequisite, this workshop is a springboard to all the other workshops.
Through instruction, discussion, and skill-building exercises, get a solid grasp of the foundations of the mediational teaching method; learn to apply to life and learning.
Who is it for? Every child.
- Spark learning and cooperative behaviour.
- Understand better how the brain learns best.
- Access tools that make learning engaging and meaningful for your child.
- Explore the importance of parent/child attachment and learn ways to keep it healthy.
- Discover problem-solving techniques that help to strengthen cognitive weaknesses.
- Leave the workshop energized to put personal and family goals well in place, as well as the method to achieve them.
Behaviour and Focus Issues
This workshop session focuses on how children’s behaviours are shaped, helping them to become competent, secure, and resilient learners
- Move from conflict to cooperation
- Find positive ways of addressing behavioural challenges.
- Grow in skills which help in dealing with delays, blocking, fear of failure, fear of succeeding, lack of confidence, and argumentative behaviour.
- Learn nine key areas of living, performance, and stability.
- Engage in personal and group activities that will increase your ability to identify learning barriers and address frustration.
- Bring your home to a new place of success and peace.
Spectrum and Processing
This workshop explores cognitive processes and addresses AS challenges. Children can better understand their world, discern God’s will for them, and act in accordance with His will in faith and integrity.
In this workshop:
- Go from struggle to success.
- Explore student attitude and belief through the mediational method.
- Assess weaknesses and strengths.
- Help the child struggling with focus, memory, confusion, processing, frustration, planning, social functioning, and learning delays.
- Come away with an action plan.
- Find more hope; moving from “I can’t” to “I can”.
Reading and Math
These two 2-hour sessions (on the same day) will include instruction, parent participation, and practical tips to jump the hurdles encountered in reading and math challenges.
In this workshop:
- Take a fresh approach at helping those with reading or math barriers.
- Use Mediated Learning to work past blocking behaviours.
- Explore readiness.
- Learn about perception challenges (dyslexia/dyscalculia) and how to work with your child.
- Learn the roots of reading and math struggles, and direct this knowledge toward a fresh start for children wounded by negative experiences.
- Come away with a strategy.
Mediating High School
Unlock growth and launch forward into greater independence and self-mediation in the high school student! This workshop is offered directly to youth, ages 13 yrs. to 19yrs., with a parent present. It is designed to inspire self-direction, boost motivation, and equip students for success both in high school and beyond.
In this workshop:
- The student will focus on goal-setting, healthy ambition, study skills, and responsible living.
- Students should come away with a more mature mindset.
- Youths will learn to self-mediate, to ask meaningful questions, and to grow as critical thinkers.
- Your child will explore “calling”, gifts and strengths, and interests.
- They will be motivated to take greater charge of choices, behaviour, and will learn to plan for the future.
Also available through WISDOM:
- Daylong, in-person, Mediated Learning Family Day.
- Screen Impact presentation.
Contact the Mediated Learning Team Sign Up for a Workshop Today Dynamic Assessment
"The presenters did a wonderful job! Loved that we did activities that were challenging. It was a good reminder for me to understand my children better and to have more patience and understanding when they don't grasp a concept right away."
— WISDOM mom
If you have further questions after reading through these, don’t hesitate to join an information session, call the WISDOM Office at 780-741-2113, or use the chat function below.
Q. What is Home Schooling?
Q. What is (Parent-Delivered) Home Schooling? (What are the different types of home schooling?)
Q. Why do families home school?
Q. Are parents qualified to teach their children?
Q. Is home schooling legal?
Q. How much time does it take?
Q. How can we teach several children at once?
Q. What about socialization?
Q. What about my child's special interests?
Q. Can Home Schoolers get a high school diploma and attend university or college?
Q. What materials are available?
Q. What methods should I use?
Q. What about children with special needs?
Q. How does WISDOM receive, divide - and use - educational funding grants?
Q. How do we get started home schooling?
Parent Portal Questions
The following questions will take you to a page just for questions about the Parent Portal.
Q. Are we obligated to create and use this portal for our family? I prefer to keep my personal info out of 'clouds' and other servers.
Q. How will I access student information?
Q. Does this give AB Education access to our Education Program Plans (EPPs)?
Q. Which option we pick for the declaration of outcomes?
Q. We will not be returning to WISDOM Home Schooling (The Gilbertine Academy S2338) for this coming school year. Do we still need an account?
A. With parenthood comes the responsibility of educating our children. We begin teaching from the very first day, helping our children to find security in us; and then throughout their early years teaching them to walk, speak, feed themselves, toilet train, along with the myriad of life skills a young child comes to know. Reading, writing, numbers, science, and social studies are no harder to teach, and up until the last century, the home was the environment where these skills were taught. Schools as we know them were established primarily out of charity toward the children of illiterate parents. The methods employed in teaching children at home differ substantially from those required in a classroom and generally tend to be more informal and open-ended. Rather than organizing their time around managing a classroom, home schoolers focus upon individual student strengths and weaknesses and organize each day around making the most of the learning opportunities at hand. Home schooling is not merely school at home; it is a way of life.
Q. What is (Parent-Delivered) Home Schooling? (What are the different types of home schooling?)
A. The term used by the Alberta Department of Education to describe traditional home schooling is “Home Education.” Parents who “home educate” retain full authority to plan and provide schooling to their children. Parents have the right to teach according to their faith, goals, and time-lines; free to follow their vision rather than the vision of someone outside of their home.
In a “Shared Responsibility" program, the parents teach part of the program, and a school teaches the remainder. On-line schooling is considered a school-delivered program, with the school taking responsibility for the content, scheduling, and grading of the student. Fully school-delivered programs generate full funding for the associate board, and the parents have little to no input into what is being taught.
WISDOM has seen the success that results from full parental control of home schooling and affirms the parents' right to teach their own children. Unfortunately, parents often lose confidence in their own abilities once they have deferred to a school to provide the at-home education to their children. Many students in school-delivered at-home programs find themselves back in school within a few years. This contributes to WISDOM's decision to support only Traditional home schooling; properly speaking: only “Home Education.” We will work with you to meet your goals and fulfill your regulatory responsibility. We will assist you with program choices and other important education decisions, but we maintain that you are the primary educator, and you call the shots for your children.
For more information about different types of learning at home, such as Shared Responsibility or School-Delivered/Aligned, please click here.
Q. Why do families home school?
A. Parents make the decision not to delegate the education of their children to others but rather commit the time and energy themselves. Families have a variety of reasons for home schooling. WISDOM's founders began because they wanted to integrate their children's overall character and moral development with their education, realizing that "if their prayer life and the study of faith was not in order, education became fruitless.” Many parents who begin to home school for purely academic reasons soon find themselves growing in other areas as well. Relational problems that are less visible to parents when their children are away all day become far more evident when the family lives in close proximity day in and day out. In a homeschooling setting, parents more effectively identify and deal with these formerly obscured issues. Although family life seems more demanding in the short term, home education leads to strong relationships and renewed capacity for learning. Approaches to academics vary, but most home schooling families tend to emphasize a good, wholesome life, growing in respect for one another.
- There is opportunity to centre the daily schedule around prayer/meditation and faith study, rather than these becoming relegated to "when there's time".
- Each student's curriculum can be custom designed.
- Parents may conscientiously choose social activities.
- Parents can build in time to think, plan, explore, question; all within a safe environment.
- Schooling can be scheduled around the parent's work, family responsibilities, etc.
- Schooling can be designed to fit the learning and teaching styles of the family, some structured, some flexible, all unique to some degree.
- Communication between family members is enhanced.
- Tutorial-style education helps each child achieve their full potential.
Q. Are parents qualified to teach their children?
A. An important difference between you and a classroom teacher is the love you have for your child and the fact that your educational commitment is not one academic year, but a lifetime. These two points give you a distinct advantage, though it sometimes takes a bit of adjustment before you can make the most of this advantage. Confidence grows with experience, but a cooperative school board can shorten the time it takes to gain your feet. Research has proven that the academic achievement of parents has no bearing upon the success achieved by their home schooled children. If you can read and write, you can teach your children as effectively as can the parent with a PhD in Education. Research demonstrates that a child's academic potential is governed by factors other than the educational level of his parents. A loving parent is the nurturing ingredient that will bring a child to full potential.
Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, has conducted numerous studies on the effectiveness of home schooling, demonstrating that the average home school student's academic achievement was very high. Dr. Ray says, "The tutorial method has always been the superior method for education of children. Home schooling epitomizes this method, providing the essentials for success--a close relationship between the student and teacher, motivation, flexibility, and individualization."
Several resources are available to give you the preparation and training you need:
- The Successful Homeschool Handbook, Home Grown Kids, and Better Late Than Early, by Raymond and Dorothy Moore
- The Three R's by Ruth Beechick
- How to Home School by Gayle Graham
- Educating the Whole-Hearted Child by Clay & Sally Clarkson
- Speak to at least one veteran home schooler (try the WISDOM Parent Advisory Council, if you don't know anyone who home schools).
- Home school conventions, workshops, and curriculum fairs provide practical instruction in teaching techniques unique to home instruction.
- Support groups can greatly encourage and help you through the exchange of ideas. (From the founder: "Personally, in the early years, I derived my greatest benefit by having other adults whose judgement I trusted, experience the progress my children were making. Their perspective was extremely valuable at times when I was too close to perceive how much my children had actually improved.")
A. Each province and state sets its own laws governing home education. In Alberta, if parents intend to home educate, they must notify their own resident school board, or an associate board or associate private school.
WISDOM Home Schooling is the home education department of The Gilbertine Academy, which is operated by The Gilbertine Institute, Calgary, and is operated by professionals who are personally experienced in home education. WISDOM complies with the regulations of the Education Act while helping to make home schooling easier for parents and more effective. Accountability serves to keep us organized. Look for an associate board or associate private school that has understanding and experienced staff, who can look at your family from a personal perspective.
A few home education administrations in Alberta make a point of hiring home educating facilitators and/or staff. WISDOM makes it our policy. All of our facilitators, and full time office staff, were either home educated themselves or are home educating parents.
Legislation is continually being reviewed in each province, making it important for you to work with home school organizations, especially the Alberta Home Education Association and others like it to aid the passage of favourable legislation. Constitutional rights to liberty and privacy and the free exercise of religion under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantee parental rights to educate their children according to their convictions. However, school boards have ruled inconsistently in applying these rights to home education. WISDOM helps families comply with the law without compromising integrity as parents and educators. It is important to obtain a copy of the Alberta Home Education Regulation. Many problems can be avoided by being accurately informed and by using tact and respect in dealing with authorities, or other people who don't understand home education. Consider joining the Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada. They are an excellent ally in the effort to maintain parental rights.
Q. How much time does it take?
A. Although teaching your own children does require a time commitment, it isn't as demanding as you might expect. You can achieve a great deal more in far less time than required in an institutional setting. The time required will depend upon the approach you take and the resources you use, but you will likely begin with a half to one hour, per day, for the early grades, three hours by junior high, and older children, mostly working independently, will spend up to six hours through high school. Mature students usually study music, perhaps work part-time, often read more than average and spend time preparing for post-secondary work or study. Be aware that, if you are taking more time than seems necessary, you may have imported "school" into your home. Due to the number of students in a classroom, schools attempt to teach by the use of packaged tasks or "curriculum." Fortunately, children learn more and faster if they are allowed to function in the practical world rather than just studying about it in a textbook. Parents will find that capitalizing on informal teachable moments throughout the day will allow them to avoid lenthy formal study times, especially for younger child. Above all, a balance of practical activity and good reading material forms the heart of an effective education.
Q. How can we teach several children at once?
A. Many subjects can be taught to various levels at once, demanding more complex thinking, more lucid expression, and more effective writing of the older children and less of their younger siblings. Older and younger children can gain much by learning together for the good of all (consider the excellent education received by students in one-room schoolhouses, where the more mature thought processes of older students then benefit younger students who are listening). Children who are close in age can do much of their work together. Many families find it helpful create opportunities for independent learning (reading, research, videos, crafts, worksheets, etc) for their children, and then spending focussed time with direct instruction of one child at a time.
A. Once you have home schooled a year or two you will look back at this question and say, "what was all the fuss about socialization?" Because most children in western culture spend most of their time among same-age peers, we have come to assume that this is normal. Have you ever wondered why the Creator put children in families where nobody (unless you are a multiple) is your age? The best environment within which to grow socially is a multi-age group. There is significant benefit to maturing in an environment where you must interact daily with those older and younger than you; responsible for the good of each other and learning from others at the same time (this includes the parents). Healthy relationships are best taught, demonstrated, and reinforced at home and in service to others as family outreach. As you get to know other home schoolers you will be impressed at the responsibility these children bring to their relationships. Their well-mannered confidence is a tribute to the environment their parents create. One of the greatest dangers to our children is peer dependency. It is only after years of careful formation that our children can be a testimony to others without being negatively influenced by them. The home is the environment for this careful formation. A recent US study has verified that the self-concept of home schooled children is significantly more positive than average. These young people know who they are.
Q. What about my child's special interests?
A. A wealth of experiences outside the home can supplement and enrich home education. Field trips organized by your family or in cooperation with one or more other families offer excellent opportunities to share fellowship and learning. The classroom of the world around you is the one that can teach you the most. Books are an excellent means of learning about those things the student can't access personally but, where possible, home schooling parents can immerse their children in the practical aspects of life, from pond life, to museums, to doing laundry and dishes. The internet provides a plethora of learning opportunities and resources. Other interests such as musical training and amateur sports tend to fit well in a home education schedule.
Q. Can Home Schoolers get a high school diploma and attend university or college?
A. In the USA, more than 200 institutions welcome home-educated students, not based upon official academic records, but rather upon individual merit. They are assisted by the track record established by previous home schooled students, who tend to be mature and capable of thinking for themselves, proving to be independent workers who set their own goals and schedules. Many prestigious universities (including Yale) encourage home schoolers to apply and offer admission based upon an entrance exam.
In Alberta, home schooled students may earn high school credits and graduate with an Alberta Diploma. Conversely, they can set their own criteria for graduation and finish with a WISDOM Parent Authorized Diploma. There are different entrance requirements for various post-secondary institutions, but all are attainable through home schooling. All universities and colleges (even the ones who have no policy for home schoolers) have a "special admissions" option that looks at the individual merit of an applicant and can admit anyone who can demonstrate ability. For some situations the SAT can be used for college or university entrance. Read: Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax. The parents did not attempt to follow a typical school curriculum, and their 3 oldest sons entered Harvard. The children enjoyed a blend of wilderness subsistence farming and good books. Also be sure to ask the WISDOM Office for a copy of our High School Information Book.
Q. What materials are available?
A. Many common textbooks are available from curriculum publishers and from other sources, offering depth and a logical order of topics. Work texts combine textbook information with exercises in consumable write-in books. Unit Studies allow a parent to integrate the teaching of values, skills, Science, and Social Studies... by following specific themes. Using a Classical Approach, children progress from memory and skills to advanced reasoning and expressive use of language. When applying the Principle Approach teachers and students keep notebooks containing Bible perspectives and principles, personal applications, and other specific information on the subject. Whatever the approach, don't forget the extreme value of good reading material & real life experiences. Once a student has learned the basics of language and numbers, abundant learning comes through reading good literature and engaging in good discussions. Remember to use those normal everyday activities like laundry, chores, music, and dishes to teach skills and character development; and great books combined with probing discussion to teach thinking.
A. Your first year will require a calculated guess. Many parents choose to simply use what their home schooling friends are using. You may not be in a position to make curriculum choices until you have actually worked with each child to discover learning style, strengths, and weaknesses, interests, and abilities. You will also discover your own teaching style, the demands upon your time, priorities, etc. Whenever possible, you will take time in your first year to talk to other home schoolers and look at resources. By the time you begin your second year, you will be more confident to make many of your schooling decisions. Don't forget to keep researching different methods of education.
Q. What about neuro-diverse children with special learning needs?
A. Neuro-diverse (ADHD, dyslexic, Asperger or Autism-spectrum, anxiety, Tourette's syndrome, and gifted) children are particularly well-served by home schooling by working at their own pace with material that is suited to their individual needs. Learning is best served in an environment where the student has a strong relationship with the teacher, and nowhere can this be achieved as effectively as within the context of the family. Consistency and discipline are the key strengths in special needs home education. Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, affirms, "Research comparing home educated to public school learning disabled students found higher rates of academic engaged time, and greater academic gains were made by the home educated. ... parents, even without special education training, provided powerful instructional environments at home...." WISDOM offers parent training for teaching neuro-diverse students. (See more here.)
Q. How does WISDOM receive, divide - and use - educational funding grants?
A. For each student whose parent has given notification by September 30, we (Gilbertine Institute) receive a total grant of $1802. The parent may fund learning resources by claiming up to 50% of the total of the funds ($901), per student, per year. Alberta Education allocates the funding to the school authority at a rate of 10% per month from September through June. We make half available to parents in Fall and half in Spring. The student support portion of the funding covers facilitator and staff salaries and operational costs, as well as subsidizes additional services and supports that WISDOM provides to families.
Some families choose to not access funding, and some families choose to allocate their unclaimed funds to The Gilbertine Institute for use in the WISDOM department for family support. These families help us provide for unfunded 'rescue' families who join us throughout the school year, as well as contribute toward extra help for special needs consultation, tutoring, and family counselling.
Q. How do we get started home schooling?
A. Pray (or discern in your own way), and, if you have a spouse, agree together as team on your decision to home school. Then, set long term goals for your children, writing down what you ultimately want for them. Once you have done this you will have accomplished the most important foundational task for your home school. From there, you can work backward from these goals to decide how to structure your time and tasks right now. Above all, start simply, and avoid trying to create a typical school in your home. This isn't "school at home". This is working toward providing the best possible education for your child.